Fae Hunter

Chapter 1.-1

Chapter 1.

My two-week winter break was over.

I’d spent my holidays in the best possible way. Stuffed myself full of Mom’s food, bought new clothes for the icy nights at the Academy, and caught up with my friends.

Holly had moved in with us, practically, and didn’t leave until I shoved her out the door.

We’d had the best time, going out for coffee and shopping at the mall.

Holly had attended a local community college for the semester, so we got to compare notes about the guys at our new schools.

Holly, of course, being bubbly and blonde—my polar opposite—had won the admiration of more than one guy. And several girls, too.

And for once, I had some stuff to tell her as well.

I’d left out lots of details about my new school, of course.

The Slayer Academy was still a complete secret to all humans. But I’d had enough “normal” experiences to be able to discuss them with my best friend. The tales of my run-ins with Brutice were a prime example. He was the bully I’d been attracted to, against my better judgement. I’d somehow managed to fall into bed with him at one point, then got dumped at the end of the semester.

Mostly because I wasn’t going along with the party line that all Fae were monsters. Not that I could tell Holly that.

I’d exaggerated everything about Brutice, of course. Drama was Holly’s specialty and I played it up. I had to make it seem like he was the only guy for me and that I was totally heartbroken that things had ended.

Holly gave me enormous amounts of guidance about how to get him back. Most of it was great advice that I would not be taking. But it was great to bond with her over such things.

What I didn’t tell her, was that instead of pining over losing whatever thing I had with Brutice, I’d spent most of the Christmas break dreaming of Fiore.

Sigh.

After craving my family, my home for so many weeks while I was away, there was a large part of me that wanted to get back to the Academy.

Though it was hard to admit, that school, somehow, had become the place I was most at home. Comfortable in a way I’d never been, even with my parents and grandmother.

Not that I could complain about my holidays. My folks had been great, buying me awesome winter clothes for Christmas and letting me sleep as much as I liked.

But it was time to head back to school and my skin tingled with the impending excitement.

“Thanks for the best winter break ever, Mom.”

I wrapped my arms around my mother and hugged her neck tightly. She squeezed me back and I closed my eyes. After managing to survive my first semester of Slayer Academy, it was time for round two.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

Mom pulled back and glanced at my freshly packed suitcase, full of all my winter clothes. Getting it zipped was no easy feat.

“You sure you’ve got everything?”

I didn’t know how all my new things were going to fit in the communal closet, but I wasn’t averse to having clothes tucked under my bed if necessary.

I laughed as she gestured to my luggage. “Ah, I think so. More thermals, two jackets and lots of warm training clothes for those practical classes I suck at.”

Mom ignored my jibe about my less than impressive fighting skills and opened the trunk of the car for us with a push of a button.

I hugged my dad. “Bye, Dad.”

He squeezed back. “Bye, sweetheart. Give ‘em hell.”

I smiled and swallowed the lump that rose. They had so much confidence in me. It was lovely, but completely misplaced.

“Yeah, I’ll try.”

I hadn’t told my parents about my battle with the two Fae Princes. Or about my suspicions that they weren’t the heartless monsters everyone believed them to be.

“Let’s go, sweetie.”

I knew my mom was itching to get going because she drummed her fingernails along the roof of the car.

I hugged my dad once more, opened the passenger door and climbed in, a bubble of excitement making my throat catch.

“Ready?” Mom asked, as she threw the car into gear.

I nodded as I struggled to keep the strange squeal from escaping.

“Yep.”

Mom put her foot down and we took off towards the Academy, my stomach tightening in anticipation of the moment I’d been both dreading and looking forward to since Christmas.

“So, are you excited about your second semester?” Mom asked, her voice more upbeat than I felt.

“Um... sort of.”

I could imagine now what my mother would have been like when she went to college. Fierce, courageous, excited.

“But sort of... not?” Mom glanced over at me and I shrugged.

“It’s just...” What direction should I take with this one? I only had a few hours to talk to Mom and then it would be five months until I saw her again.

“You never told me that you were some sort of legend. One of the guys calls me ‘Legacy.’ Well they all say I am a legacy, but he refuses to use my real name.”

Mom chuckled a little. “So?”

I sighed. She didn’t get it. “I just don’t live up to the name. I feel like I’m going to disappoint everyone, because I’m not like you. I’m not some badass fighter.”

Mom laughed this time and I saw her cheeks brighten with a blush of red.

I rolled my eyes. She looked way too flattered for my liking.

“Mom.”

She couldn’t possibly make this about her, could she? She was supposed to be sympathetic to my plight, not mock me.

She reached over and patted my thigh. “Oh, sweetie, I left that life behind a long time ago. I may have been good at all the fighting and physical elements, but being a Slayer in real life was much harder than I ever thought it would be. I was actually relieved when I had you and I could step away from all that.”

I twisted in my seat to stare at her. “Then why make me go?”

She went still and silent for a moment, then swallowed.

“Because it’s your birthright. It would be wrong of me to influence you or prevent you from going, especially when you showed signs early of being skillful in the magical arts. Besides, for all I knew, you’d love the Academy as much as your grandmother did.”

Now I was confused.

“Hang on a second. Grandma said that you flourished at the Academy, that you were amazing. And she must have been right, because now everyone at school thinks I should be amazing too. One, because I’m your daughter, and two, because I’m third generation.”

Mom grinned. “You’re actually a fifth generation, but don’t tell anyone that.”

I groaned and folded my arms over my chest.

Oh my God, it just got worse.

“Seriously?”

If the kids at school found out...

“Megara, look. This is your legacy, your life. To attend the school and see who you become. I’ve known since the moment I gave birth to you that I’d be driving you to the Academy once you matured. It doesn’t mean you have to become a Slayer once you graduate, but I wanted you to have the choice.”

That sounded like good, common sense. Which was one of things I loved about my mom.

I bit my lip and relaxed my arms.

“Why were you so good then?”

Mom only grinned this time. “I studied hard and had some natural physical abilities taught to me by my father.”

I grunted. “Sounds like you’re being modest now. If you knew how much they compare me to you, you wouldn’t think it was funny.”

She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Megara, you are far smarter than me, more loyal, more determined. I know that you’re feeling overwhelmed, but... well, this is your destiny. I promise you. I’ve seen it.”

That got my attention.

“What have you seen?”

I didn’t know my mother had scrying abilities. I hadn’t even begun to develop mine.

Mom withdrew her hand to grip the wheel once again. “I’ve seen you change everything.”

She didn’t look at me, but the hairs on my neck tingled and stood on end.

A sure sign of bad things to come.

“Mom, maybe I shouldn’t go back. I know you think I should but...”

I didn’t know how to finish that sentence. I wanted to go back, I did. But the feeling I was getting from this new year was something akin to what my mom was saying.

Things were going to change. Big things.

“But what?” Mom pressed when I didn’t continue.

I sighed. We only had a little bit of the drive to go now, I may as well tell her the truth.

“But, I’m not sure I belong there. I don’t believe them when they tell me all Fae are... well... evil.”

My mom’s narrowed gaze shot to me and I rushed to recover the conversation.

“I know you’re going to disagree with me, because I know you fought the Fae for a long time, but I...”

I swallowed the lump that lodged itself in my throat. How did I tell her about Fiore? About him claiming me? And in doing so, saving me?

“Megara, you see more, and feel more, than anyone I know. In my experience, the Fae are our enemy. But if you’re questioning the very foundation on which the Academy is built, then you need to dig deeper. Find out what the real truth is. Don’t give up until you uncover everything, if your instincts are telling you to push on. You know they haven’t failed you before.”

My mom was right. They hadn’t been wrong before. And they were telling me keep looking for an answer.

If I were honest with myself, I wanted to return to the Academy. Even with its bullies and pressure and weird classes.

I knew that if I looked deeply enough, I’d find out what they were hiding from me.

Sure, I was scared, and worried. And that was okay. These were unchartered territories. But beneath it all, I was also excited. Excited to find out more about these people that all humans feared.

“Thanks, Mom.”

We drove the rest of the way in virtual silence, comfortable and lost in our own worlds. I could sense my mother’s worry, but also her confidence in me. And that made me secure on a deep level.

When we arrived at the Academy and drove through the massive gates that guarded the property, I slid forward on my seat and craned my neck to look out the windshield.

“I hope I’m not the last one to arrive again.”

When I’d started here last term, I’d felt ridiculously unprepared.

Now, not so much.

Mom said, “Hmmm, I wouldn’t think so. Classes start in a day and a half, so I’d think there would still be some people arriving tomorrow.”

My mom pulled the car up outside the main building. I looked out at the bushes, the memories of which had tormented me for weeks after my first run-in with Brutice and his crew.

I sighed loudly. “You know, last time you dropped me off, I got attacked by a group of students.”

Mom gasped. “You were what? Why?”

Mom’s surprise and horror were genuine as her maternal anger filled the car interior around me.

I shrugged. “The Dean said it was a test, to see how sharp my skills were. As you can imagine, I failed miserably.”

The memory still grated on my nerves. I should have been better prepared and I still thought it was unfair that my parents thought the “throw her in the deep end and see if she can swim” approach was best.

My mother’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God. What happened?”

I glanced out the window, remembering that fateful afternoon with Brutice and the girl who’d made my first day a true nightmare.

“They knocked me around a bit, but I was okay.”

Looking back, I was much more terrified than anything else. I’d gotten more bruises from a training session.

“Do you think they’re there again?” Mom asked, looking out the window with eyes narrowed.

I shrugged. There was no reason for a second initiation. “I doubt it. They know how bad I am at hand-to-hand combat now.”

Mom grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug across the center console. “I believe in you, sweetheart. Your powers are only beginning to develop. Please have faith in them.”

I closed my eyes and nodded. I hadn’t seen much of it myself, but there had to be some genetic abilities, right?

“Okay, Mom.”

What else could I say?

When she finally let go of me, I exited the car and the magic of the Academy wrapped around me like a cold cloak. I shivered, and yet found myself smiling.

I was home.

Why I felt like this here, I didn’t know. But I wasn’t fighting it.

I walked around to the trunk, pulled my suitcase out and plonked it on the gravel.

I had a weapon in my bag, one my Grandma had given me for Christmas. A jeweled dagger that looked like it belonged on a Shakespearean stage.

Should I get it out?

The likelihood of being attacked again was low. Mostly because there was no need to test me. I wasn’t a new arrival.

There was no logical reason to test me. But there was also the side issue that Brutice and I had s*x last semester. He wouldn’t attack me after that, surely?

But what did I know?

He hadn’t been too happy with me when I’d told him that all Fae weren’t evil. He’d taken it as a personal slight, for some reason, and ended our fledgling relationship before it had even gotten off the ground.

I exhaled a big sigh and grabbed my jacket, then the handle of my suitcase.

“Okay, Mom. I’ll see you in five months!”

Five months until Summer break.

And how much would I know by then?

“I love you, sweetie.”

Mom drove off, waving happily this time as I trudged up the stairs to the entrance.

Luckily, the not-so-welcoming party was missing this time.

I glanced up at the stained-glass windows decorating the front of the Slayer Academy.

I’d been dreading this moment since I’d gone home two weeks ago. But now that it was here, I was opening the door and about to unpack again, a bubble of excitement made my stomach quiver.

I’d never shied away from a challenge before, and this school afforded me the biggest challenge of my life.

Physically, emotionally and academically.

I dragged my suitcase inside, the warmth of the hallway wrapping me up and making my cold face tingle.

“Brrr....” I shivered and tugged my suitcase down the hall.

I passed two other girls I didn’t know, but the place didn’t seem to be too busy yet.

When I arrived at my suite, I reached for the door handle and turned, stepping into my room.

A deep sense of relief washed over me.

“Megara!”

I turned around and smiled at my suite mates. Tabby and Katie were already here, their side of the room set up with new things and both of them reading.

Well, Tabby was flicking through a magazine, but what else was new?

“Hey, guys!”

I threw my coat on my bed and dropped the suitcase to the floor.

“The Legacy has returned,” Tabby said with a huge, mocking grin on her face as she ran forward to hug me.

I scowled at her as she wrapped her arms around me. She knew I hated that name.

I couldn’t stay mad at her, of course, especially since she was deliberately baiting me. So, I hugged her back and went along with the joke.

“You know nothing would keep me away from this place now. I’m a star!”

Katie walked over quietly, her gentle smile lighting up her face.

“Yes, you are.” She gave me a quick hug and I was suddenly fighting back tears.

Why?

I sniffed. For some reason, I was feeling oddly emotional about being back, being among friends, and actually welcome.

“Um...” I cleared my throat that was clogged. “Is Steph coming tomorrow? Or...”

Tabby readjusted her ponytail and shrugged. “Nah, she’s already here.”

I glanced towards her empty bed. “Okay, is she still living here?”

Tabby shook her head. “No, she’s moved into another room.”

“Oh.”

I let that settle over me.

Was it my fault that she’d moved? Or was it something else? Either way, it was probably better to have more space around us. One less person to worry about. And she’d been my least favorite person in the room.

“Oh... okay. Did you guys have a good Christmas?”

I hung my coat up in the closet and began to unpack my new clothes.

“Nothing special,” Tabby said.

I looked towards my bookworm friend.

Katie smiled. “Um, yes. Christmas was lovely. My parents and I went to London for a week to visit relatives.”

I stared at her. Was she serious? Was that like, a normal thing for her family to do?

Katie mustn’t have noticed my look, or if she did, she was ignoring me, because she was curling back onto her bed like a cat and pushing her glasses up her nose so she could focus back on the book she’d been reading.

I glanced over at Tabby, who rolled her eyes.

I had to ask. “Have I missed something?”

Tabby laughed. “Not unless you didn’t know that Katie’s parents were like, super wealthy.”

I looked back over at my friend and checked for the signs of wealth that I’d come to expect.

There were no Louis Vuitton suitcases or Prada handbags here.

“Um... I didn’t know that.”

Katie shrugged and turned a page in her book. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

Brutice popped into my head. He’d told me that the rich tended to have special privileges at the Academy, so I was confused.

“But, why do you sleep in a four-person suite if your parents could afford a more private one?”

Surely a bookworm like Katie would have preferred something quieter? Smaller? More private.

Katie turned another page of her book and didn’t glance up this time.

“My parents wanted me to have the full college experience.”

And I assumed that meant the whole deal. Too many roommates, sharing a bathroom, and girls that would keep her up all night talking.

Tabby sat up on her bed. “What do you mean, a private room?”

Oh, s**t.

So, I wasn’t the only one not to know those rooms existed.

I could feel the telling heat flooding into my face, so I turned away to push my suitcase under my bed. I hadn’t told them about Brutice and me, and I wasn’t sure I should.

“I heard there’s a few private rooms in this place. But they’re expensive.”

How I knew that, I wasn’t saying.

“I don’t know anyone who has a private room,” Tabby said, looking towards Katie for further explanation.

Katie ignored her and I bit my tongue. I didn’t want to open that can of worms, not on my first day. Time to change the subject.

“Anyway. What’s the plan for tomorrow, then? Everyone getting ready for school?”

Would there be a mass of people running around buying up everything from the shops and invading the library? Or would everyone just sleep the day away?

Tabby grinned at me. “Yep, relaxing and sleeping, and eating. Have you been to the cafeteria yet?”

“No, why?”

“They’ve replaced a lot of the old tables and chairs. Looks heaps nicer now.”

We fell into a relaxed conversation and I laughed along with Tabby’s stories of what her parents and her siblings had done over Christmas break.

I’d missed my new friends, which was a pleasant surprise. As an introvert who could count my true friends on one hand, all of them had served at least a decade as my friend to earn my trust. Tabby and Katie had earned the love much faster.

*